What is there to say about Irish cream? It wasn't that long ago that I had not even had the famous beverage from my ancestors' home. Since I got introduced to Baileys, I have found that it's a good fallback for nights when a beer just doesn't seem particularly appetizing or might be too filling. It never even occurred to me that there might be direct competitors from Ireland. I had run into the one from Texas, and it was very good, but I want to see what other Irishmen have to contribute to the style.
If anything, I'd say this is a little less brown than the only other Irish cream that I have to compare it to. It has the same texture every other cream liquor has had - that of slightly watery cream. The aroma is almost identical to its countryman; light chocolate, cream, vanilla, and mysterious liquor.
First sip is pretty good. It's sweet, as these kinds of beverages are want to be, and it has the creamy vanilla and vague chocolate that pile on top of the harsher liquor to make a sedate, relaxing beverage to enjoy by the fire or firepit. Is it as good as the yardstick that is Bailey's? No, but it's good.
Subsequent sips reveal a bit of a hard edge that defines the difference between this and the more famous Irish cream. It is a little thing, but the entire difference exists in that slight difference. It's still a smooth, sweet, and tasty beverage, but there's a reason the Bailey's is the legend that it has become.
Bottom Line: Very good, indeed.
4.0/5
Saint Brendan's Irish Cream
Tuesday, September 22, 2020